Updated: In Gaza, Macabre Manipulations of a Child Victim

Update, 1 pm EST: Following communication from CAMERA, Reuters commendably clarifies

Update, Nov. 19: Following communication from CAMERA, CNN Revisits Story

Not for the first time, the death of a Palestinian child killed in hotly disputed circumstances is being categorically blamed on Israel. Elder of Ziyon blogger was the first to catch the latest case, involving the death of 4-year-old Mahmoud Sadallah of Jabaliya, whose body was photographed with Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Qandil as he visited the Gaza Strip Friday.

Photos of the boy’s body on display were distributed by the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters, all of whose captions categorically stated that the boy was killed in an Israeli air strike, despite the fact that news articles by the New York Times and even AP itself made clear that the circumstances behind his death were “hotly disputed,” (as AP put it), and that he may have been killed by an errant Palestinian rocket. CNN’s Sara Sidner also reported as fact that Mahmoud Sadallah is “another victim of an [Israeli] air strike,” ignoring evidence to the contrary.

About the boy’s death, the New York Times reported:

It is unclear who was responsible for the strike on Annazla: the damage was nowhere near severe enough to have come from an Israeli F-16, raising the possibility that an errant missile fired by Palestinian militants was responsible for the deaths. (Emphasis added.)

Moreover, AP reports about Sadallah’s death:

Israel vehemently denied involvement, saying it had not carried out any attacks in the area at the time.

Mahmoud’s family said the boy was in an alley close to his home when he was killed, along with a man of about 20, but no one appeared to have witnessed the strike. The area showed signs that a projectile might have exploded there, with shrapnel marks in the walls of surrounding homes and a shattered kitchen window. But neighbors said local security officials quickly took what remained of the projectile, making it impossible to verify who fired it. (Emphasis added.)

Photographic Propaganda by Ashraf Amra

The photographs distributed by AP were not taken by an AP photographer, but by the Rex features photo agency. The first of the above images was taken by Ashraf Amra, whose work last week included this specimen:

We have noted before that Palestinians have strategically placed their children among piles of rubble to stage emotive photographs, but Amra took this phenomenon to new heights by photographing an infant crawling in a giant pit to “inspect damage.” Here is more from Amra’s children-inspecting-damage-in-their-land series last week:

Update, 1 pm EST: Following communication from CAMERA, Reuters commendably clarifies

Within hours of receiving communication from CAMERA concerning the photo caption which unequivocally blamed Israeli for the death of Mahmoud Sadallah, despite information to the contrary, Reuters has commendably refiled the image with the following clarification:

REFILE – REMOVING REFERENCE WHICH STATES THAT THE BOY WAS KILLED IN AN ISRAEL AIR STRIKE AND ADDING NEW INFORMATION Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (C) and Egypt’s Prime Minister Hisham Kandil (2nd L) touch the body of a Palestinian boy during a visit to a hospital in Gaza City November 16, 2012. Hamas says the boy was killed by an Israeli air strike but Israel’s military denies any raids at the time. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights, the leading human rights group in Gaza Strip that documents every single Israeli attack that takes place, does not include this child’s name on its list of victims. Picture taken November 16, 2012. REUTERS/Mahmud Hams/Pool (GAZA – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

CAMERA commends Reuters for its straightforward, thorough clarification. Will AFP, CNN and AP follow suit?

Nov. 19 Update: Following Correspondence with CAMERA, CNN Revisits the Story

Here is the transcript of the segment:

DON LEMON: Follow-up now to a story from Friday about the death of a 4- year-old boy in Gaza. The child’s death got a lot of attention after his body was kissed by Egypt’s prime minister during a tour of a Gaza hospital. And we need too warn you about the video you are about to see. It is heartbreaking and may be considered disturbing to some viewers. For our report, CNN visited the child’s home that neighbors said had been bombed five hours previously. Neighbors and family members told CNN they heard an aircraft before the explosion. Israeli military told CNN today it did not carry out any air strikes at the time of the child’s death. Israeli Defense Force says it stopped attacks because of a visit of Egypt’s prime minister, raising questions about what caused that fatal blast.

Among the other possibilities, the misfire of a Hamas rocket intended for Israel. CNN’s crews in Gaza says it saw two such rockets passing overhead, apparently fired not far from where the boy lived.

CNN has not removed or clarified the original video on its Web site blaming the boy’s death unequivocally on Israel.